One local county takes a step forward in the battle against synthetic drugs.
On Wednesday Ionia County asked local businesses to take designer drugs off store shelves.
In most places, it's pretty easy to get your hands on K2 but Ionia County hopes to change that.
Ken Bowen, Ionia County Health Department: "We wanna give retailers the opportunity to do the right thing."
Bowen says the right thing is removing K2 from store shelves.
Bowen: "I think there's definitely a perception out there among some people that its safe because you can walk up to a counter and buy it."
The Smokey Mountain Tobacco shop in Ionia is one place where you can do that.
Owner Maureen Piggott says she's been selling K2 for about a year.
Piggott: "It was never anything I intended to sell, I just did it cause some of my customers asked."
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She says when K2 is used the way its intended to be used then there ardent any health risks but Piggott says she's learning that's not why most people buy it.
So she says by the end of this month, she's done.
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Piggott: "A lot more information is coming out about it -- it does appear that people are misusing it and I really don't want to be a part of that."
Piggott says her focus is her specialty tobacco and hookah products and doesn't want to deal with all the issues surrounding K2.
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Piggott: "I don't want to do anything that's gonna harm anybody."
That's why she believes the county is doing the right thing by asking stores to take it down.
Piggott: "If its being misused, then no one should get ahold of it."
But it's not that simple because as it stands now, the county is only suggesting stores get rid of the product.
Bowen: "If they don't, we can issue an order and then local law enforcement can go in and confiscate it."
But until then, it's still easily accessible until more stores follow Piggott's lead or the county issues that order.
Legislation banning synthetic drugs state-wide is currently pending.
If signed it will take effect July 1st.
